Consider

State Senate President Donna Mercado Kim has informed people she is considering a run for Congress.

Kim did not return a request for comment on Friday afternoon. She told Hawaii News Now that she would make a decision later this year about whether to enter the Democratic primary in urban Honolulu's 1st Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is vacating the seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary.

Kim would join state Sen. Will Espero, state Rep. K. Mark Takai, Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang, Honolulu City Councilman Ikaika Anderson and activist Kathryn Xian in the primary.

Kim, who represents Kalihi Valley, Moanalua and Halawa, would not have to vacate her Senate seat to run because the seat is not up until 2016. She had $278,274 in cash on hand in her Senate campaign account at the end of June.

Kim became Senate president last December after Shan Tsutsui ascended to lieutenant governor.

Kim had unsuccessfully sought the appointment to replace the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye. She was not among the three recommendations by the Democratic Party of Hawaii's state central committee to Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Abercrombie selected Schatz, his lieutenant governor, for the appointment.

6 Responses to “Consider”

While I have been waiting for another choice in the FIrst CD race, Donna Kim's entry does not satisfy my desire for a candidate I can get enthused about. The Senator is undoubtedly smart and a hard worker. I have watched her run one of her investigative hearings and walked away very impressed with her intelligence, while at the same time, being grateful I was not at the receiving end of that very focussed intelligence.

But she is much too inclined to side with the rich and powerful, against the interests of regular small fry folk. She singlehandedly killed a long overdue hike in the state minimum wage this past session and will probably block it again in 2014.

She was the most effective opponent in the state senate to passage of the civil unions law. (Sorry, Senator Gabbard. I said "effective). Her failure to respect social equality for gays and lesbians is consistent with her lack of compassion for those working long hours at wages insufficient to "put food on the family," while also paying rent, medical bills, etc.

The Congressional race is still waiting for a credible, intelligent and compassionate candidate to enter the race. Kim brings a resume which may give her more stature than the other announced candidates. But having achieved re-election an position, without having demonstrated a willingness to use that power for the good of our people, is scarcely a strong recommendation for popular support.

Sen. Donna Kim is a very strong candidate. While I have not seen any polls, Ms. Kim must be considered a front-runner. She is well-known, well-funded, running against 5 males in a district with a slight majority of female voters who turn out. My guess is at least one of the men leave the race after reality strikes (and they look at their internal polling data).

Kolea, you are too kind to Donna Kim. But, then, you are a gentleperson and I am not, so let me say this:

Donna Kim has done this "consider" thing before. When Dan Akaka announced that he would not run for re-election, Donna announced that she was "considering" a run. When there was less than zero enthusiasm, that consideration withered and died and was never mentioned again. She applied for Dan Inouye's seat and didn't make the final three. She doesn't have to go give up her Senate seat to run for Congress so past practice seems to suggest that she is floating another trial balloon to see if it gains any altitude this time (after all, she *IS* Senate President now).

That Donna Kim has the most heft in the current crop of putative candidates says more about them that it does about her. What she really wants to be is Governor but, just like John Boehner and John McConnell, she has zero appeal outside of her district. Why? Because she is a mean-spirited, small-minded, vindictive, and utterly self-absorbed person (her office is a shrine to . . . . her) who has demonstrated no executive talent or policy chops in her career and has instead contented herself with second-guessing and then eviscerating sitting duck easy targets like Ted Liu and UH.

Proving that you are the "cock of the roost" is not actually DOING anything. Because Donna Kim has no actual leadership skills, we need not fear that she will ever become Governor. Because of the weak opposition, we should fear that she is elected to Congress, but thankful that she will then be exposed on the national stage for the lightweight that she truly is.

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